TWICE WEEKLY MAY 4, 1980 1. CAMPBELL ADVERTISING to Costie News Lid.. prov PUBLISHER AUG. 7.147.768. 15, 1979 PUBLISHER — Burt Compbell pean Folaan — Ron Norman ores Preery-y — Lindo Kositsin MANA’ CIRCULATION MANAGER — Heather Hodiey 1: Ful. comelene and sole copyright in any printed matter produced by Cane News ind copys Jed Irom repro prooks, engravings 2. 1978-AUG. 27, 1980 — Peter Harvey GER — Gary Fleming Castlegar There's nothing quite like a small-town parade. It's not as flashy as its big-city cousin and perhaps doesn't have as spec- tacular floats, but it has charm. And Castlegar's annual Sunfest parade is among the best of the small-town parades. The 16th annual Sunfest parade goes next Saturday and it will be everything a small-town parade should be: flatbed trucks transfor- med into sparkling floats that carry schoolgirls with the nicest smiles; crazy cars that screech and veer down the main street; clowns with painted faces; marching bands with flashy strutters and out-of- step shufflers; friendly politicians in gleaming cars; and kids, kids and more kids. Paradgs are as much for the par- ticipants as for the spectators. For weeks mothers have been sewing on parade costumes and fathers have been marching youngsters. Teache have been putting the final touches on the music they will play and the formations they will show off. The amount of work that goes into a parade is enormous. And Castlegar makes it all happen with a volunteer group, headed this year by Bruce Gerrand. The annual Sunfest parade has earned our support, so let's give ‘em cheers as they go by next Saturday, Castlegar. Those queens and princesses during the light of day are students in social studies and chemistry classes. Make them feel like real queens and prin- cesses. Listen to the music of the marching bands and watch the dancing of the various troupes. But most of all feel the charm ‘that makes the Sunfest parade so special 2 Ron Norman Sexual permissiveness. It's the whipping boy for many of society's ailments. It's been blamed for everything from AIDS to poor eyesight. Now comes word that it is responsible for the death of the drive-in movie theatre. You read that correctly. Sex killed drive-in movies. The theory is that young couples don't need to head to the drive-in to do whatever they used to do there. (Mind you, there's no mention of just where to- day's young people go.) I don’t know about you, but I find this theory about as watertight as the Titanic. For one thing, it fails to take into account that we are now in the age of AIDS. That's where boy meets girls, then boy asks girl for a blood and urine sample. Free love? It's gone the way of the 50-cent movie Home videos have been blamed for the demise of the drive-in. And to some extent the rise in popularity of home videos has helped drive drive-ins out of busi ness. But I have my own theory about why drive i aren't as pop ular as they once were — and it revolves around the automobile. Cars today are not like they were in the 1950s, or even the 1960s. For one thing they're a lot smaller. Ever sit in the front seat of a ‘55 Chevy? It was like sitting in the middle of a warehouse. You could stretch your arm across the back of the front seat and still not touch someone sitting in the passenger seat. Try that today and your passenger is liable to come away with a black eye or a loose tooth Drive-ins were made for large ears. Even the double-feature for. mat required a large car. Can you imagine sitting for nearly four hours in a cramped import car? If your knee isn't constantly hitting the stickshift, it's knocking against the dash. And bucket seats that are stand ard in import cars may be great for long drives, but can't touch a bench seat when it comes to watching a drive-in movie. Try snuggling up to someone in a bucket seat and you'll know what I mean. Drive-ins were also a reflection of the times in which they were borne. The car was the focal point of our society. Add to that the fact that property was cheap and plentiful and voila! The drive-in was a nat. ural. But as property prices began to climb — along with taxes — drive-ins became more and more costly, especially near urban cen. tres. Drive-in operators cashed in their property for more lucrative ventures — like suburban malls. drive-ins, also be found in small Canada and the U.S. Those small towns were the major markets for drive-ins anyway — especially those in warmer climates. Take a look around and that's where you'll see today’s drive-ins. (Drive-ins were never that pop- ular in the Lower Mainland, where I grew up, simply because it rained too much to make them enjoyable, or economically viable: But the Interior was a different matter. I remember my first drive-in movie. It was Lawrence of Arabia and we saw it in the family car at a drive-in in Penticton while on summer holi- days. Drive-ins still dot the Okan- agan, where the warm summer nights provide the perfect setting.) Castlegar’s Sunset Drive-in was a relative latecomer, arriving on the scene in 2969. But it was unique. What made it unusual was the use of a transmitter. Instead of a speaker which you would hang on the window of your car, at the Sunset you would tune your car radio to a particular frequency. One of my funnier recollections of the Sunset was when former CasNews reporter Adrian Chamber lain and his wife Penny decided to head for a drive-in movie ona warm, July Friday evening. They bought their tickets, and picked out a good spot. But when he got out to get the speaker, he couldn't find it any where. At first he thought someone had ripped it out. But when he glanced around at the other stalls, he found they didn't have any speakers, either. Adrian trudged back to the ticket booth to find out what the heck was going on. Of course, he was told to tune his radio into the local fre- quency. There was just one prob- lem: his car didn’t have a radio. * 8 A reader who asks to remain uni- dentified wrote regarding the Wed- nesday CasNews article about the Sunset: “I wonder how many can still recall the Elk Drive-in right here in Castlegar in the 1950s (and possible the '30s and ‘40s before that)?” the writer asks. He says it was located on what are now the Geronazzo gravel pits. “At presumably their busiest season they were flooded out in that low area from the high waters (of the Columbia River). The last big flood J recall was in 1961. The water at the ferry was way up over the highway and all traffic up to the sawmill and pulp mill was rerouted along Woodland Drive (behind Mit- chells Supply).” Our writer also notes that Genelle had a drive-in in the 1940s and ‘50s “on the old highway through Gen- elle near where the main juriction is. But back to drive-ins. For those who haven't been to a drive-in for years and still have the urge to go, there is always the AutoVue in Trail. It plays the traditional doubie- features. It's out y 3B just Remember, just one word- she says One word about $; astrol pr a Letters to the Editor Businesses too smokey I was pleased to read that Castlegar could, might and should pass a clean-air bylaw. Thre are many businesses in town which through their good sense are smoke-free. I myself can no longer shop at Mit- chells — the place is thick with smoke. When I commented to an employee about it, he told me “there are worse things than smoking — like drinking.” If they were to choose to drink it Georgetti comments not true In his speech to the B.C. Federation of Labor free-trade forum in Castlegar May 17 Ken Georgetti criticized Kootenay West MP Bob Brisco for not responding to the B.C. Fed's invitation to speak at the forum. He said this was due to Bob's indifference to an issue vital to the well being of Kootenay West. Mr. Georgetti's comments regarding Bob are not true. The facts are as follows: Bob re. ceived a letter from the Trail-Nelson and District Labor Council dated April 28, 1988, inviting him to attend the forum. Bob was not invited to speak — in fact the letter contained a pamphlet announcing who the speakers would The Nelson-Trail and District Labor Council was advised by telephone on May 9 that Bob was unable to attend. Bob asked me to attend the meeting as his representative and I did. Bob has debated the free-trade issue twice with the NDP and Libergls and I have done so once on his behalf. In addition, he has spoken to numerous service clubs, schools, labor unions (including Local 480) and other organ. izations on free trade. In the next several months, Bob will be issuing a series of articles detailing the inaccuracies expounded at the for. um and in the B.C. Fed's literature Mr. Georgetti spoke of indifference; the only indifference I can discern is his indifference to the truth. Tim Barry Special Assistant to Bob Brisco wouldn't affect my breathing — but their smoking does. At Napa Auto Parts I couldn't get my part and pay for it fast enough. The salesman never took the cigarette out of his mouth all the time he waited on me. Then there's the Hair Annex. The day I came home from getting my hair done and my |husband asked me if I would wash my hair because it reeked of smoke was when I had to change salons. Now for our wonderful new airport terminal. Oh, it’s not the lack of no smoking signs, it’s that we have a wimpy staff. There were two large ashtrays near the seats. After chang- ing seats three times, I inquired at the desk, “Why the signs, why the ash- trays?” The reply — “for people to put their cigarettes out when they read the signs!” Put an ashtray in a room and the smoker can't read — he is visual. Lastly, but the one that annoys me the most, are our eating establish- ments. Restaurants with non-smoking sections are non-existent in Castlegar. T'm not naive enough to think that if a restaurant has a non-smoking section that I won't be inhaling someone's smoke coming over from the other section. But I do want to eat my dinner without the smoke of the table next to me drifting between my face and my dinner plate. One should not have to pay for such a meal. I've read that 77 per cent of the population in B.C. are Kk: the Castlegar ‘The Castlegar ferry closed down at midnight last night, this being partially due to the condition of the road approaching the Pass Creek bridge. Canadian Pacific Air Lines pass- engers, mail and express are being taken across the Columbia in Mr. West's boat and by taxi from there to th . ES a ie A special meeting of the Council to the Castlegar Board of Trade was called Wednesday afternoon by presi- dent S.C. Watson to deal with the re- quest of Premier Johnson of setting up a collection agency for Flood Relief. . * . The Concert by the Grade 9 students which was to have been held on Friday June 4th has been postponed until a later date due to flood) conditions. : . * The Castlegar schools closed on Tuesday morning on an order from the Health Officer, Dr. V. Goresky, The schools will remain closed as long as the flood condition prevails. * *, @ "The Operetta, which was to be staged by the school children, in the Castle theatre on June 14th has been Eighty acres of land within the village of Kinnaird were offered to the municipality for $3,500 on Tuesday night by Anderson Agencies Ltd. on behalf of its client Fred W. Plotnikoff. * . The 1st annual anniversary dance of the completion of the hall at the Castlegar arena will be held on June 14, says project society president Johnny Clarke. * 8 « Two youths were killed and another is in serious condition in Trail hospital following an accident early Sunday morning on the Kinnaird-Christina Lake Highway. rest probably wish they were. Let's get a clean-air bylaw in this city. P. Rebson Round table talks model for future On May 23 I was pleased to be in- vited, as part of a group of 30 repre- sentatives of youth and peace organ- izations from the West Kootenay and Okanagan area, to participate in a “round table” discussion of peace issues as part of the Youth Festival of the USCC at Brilliant. The paca of this was the of Marina Davidova and "Vladimir Dreb- entsov, two of the four visitors from the Soviet Union who were guests of the Doukhobor community for the fes- tival. magazine and Vladimir is an economist happiness to all the people of the area. We enjoyed our stay here. It was too short, but we have managed to learn of the good will of your community. of Henry Hyson of Rob- son from the board of management of the Castlegar hospital because of pres- sure of work and other community ac- tivities was dealt with at last Thurs- day's meeting of the hospital board. * 2. « Kinnaird council will await the report of the sdnitary inspector beforé taking action on a complaint about the behavior of pigeons being kept by a resident on 10th Ave. 15 YEARS AGO From the May 31, 1973 News A vote in October on amalgamation of Castlegar and Kinnaird became a strong ility Tuesday night fol- Thank you for your Marina Davidova, Eugene Polikanin, Gennady Sokolov and Vladimir Dreb- entsov.” This type of contact is very helpful in improving understanding between cit- izens of our respective nations and I am very grateful to the USCC and the Union of Youth for sponsoring this event, which I understand will be a Marina is a journalist with a Sovie el for future exchanges. rt! Donald Scarlett specializing in Canada (he represented the Soviet Academy of Sciences at the USSR pavilion at Expo 86). They con- tributed articulate written briefs and Vladimir, fluent in English, spoke ef- fectively during the discussion as well. Despite their full schedule, they took time to chat informally afterwards and I was impressed with their enthusiasm and helpfulness. Viadimir wrote a short note add- ressed to people throughout the southern Interior: “Dear friends: The members of the Soviet delegation to the 41st Annual Youth Festival of the USCC Union of Youth wish peace and Please address all Letters to the eer to: The Castlegar News, P.O. Box 3007, Castlegar, B.C. VIN 3H4, or deliver them to our offiée at 197 Columbia Avenue, Castle- gar, B.C. Letters must be signed ond Include Me writer's full name and address. Only in very exceptional cases will letters be published without the writer's name. Nevertheless, the name and address of the writer mustde disclosed to the editor The Costlegar News reserves the right to edit letters for brevity, clority, legality and grammor. lowing a meeting between Municipal Affairs Minister, James Lorimer, the councils of the twin towns of Castlegar and Kinnaird and a representative of electoral area J. . . Nelson School Board found at least - one supporter Monday night in the second of three meetings to be held in the Slocan Valley to determine if resi- dents want to continue with Refer- endum 5 and close small schools in the valley, or continue to operate the schools. Bob Brandson Pool in Kin: scheduled to open to the public row with the Kinnaird Aquana ginning their water training this week: end. . . . A joint meeting was held on Tuesday of last week between the local Civil Defence, Mountain Rescue and RCMP to coordinate these groups with Search and Rescue operations. . Ferry no convenience On the face of it, the issue with respect to the closure of the Robson ferry would seem to revolve around the meaning of the word “essential”. To those on the Robson side of the river, the effects of removing this 70-year-old part.of the community infrastructure, particularly upon the elderly, the young and upon those. who for whatever reason cannot manage to obtain, maintain and insure a vehicle, ” are 96 palpable that it would seem to be obvious to all but the most obdurate that the Robson ferry is essential. Unfortunately, from the lofty sum mit of Victoria, 20 kilometres of highway and a rickety old train. bridge do not seem, apparently, to be such difficult obstacles. From Victoria, the Robson ferry looks like a ence.” On another level, however, the Robson ferry closure raises some for all British “conveni | past Waneta Plaza. | } Columbians, both in relation to the actual implementation of “privatiza- tion” dng ‘in relation to the disturbing and anti¥emocratic conduct of the provincial government. Is the Robson ferry closure a model of things to come? Will selected ser- vices in selected areas, having been found to be mere conveniences, be closed down and then “offered” to other levels of government or private entrepreneurs? I defy Nelson-Creston MLA Howard Dirks or Rita Jolinston to demonstrate how the handling by the provincial government of the Robson ferry clo sure is anything other than an ag- gressive attempt to shift a substantial expense onto a region of the province which as ‘yet languishes under unem- ployment levels that have long since vanished in Victoria and other parts of the province. Yet Rita Johnston, so-called “Min- ister of State for the Kootenays”, has the temerity to suggest that the “clo- sure of the Robson ferry” is “not rele- vent to the province's new regional consultation process.” If the provincial government decides to make the re- gional district an offer it can't refuse, to the tune of some $350,000 additional annual expense to the district, and worse, to make this “offer” by press release, it can hardly expect elected regional and municipal representatives to cheerfully “consult” with the provin- cial government on their agenda. Trail MLA Chris Diane announced Tuesday the commence- ment of four department of highways construction projects in the riding. 5 YEARS AGO The pressures of the Tory leadership race haven't appared to put any strain on Joe Clark as evident by his cheerful, down-to-earth mannerism Thursday as he shook hands, talked and joked with supporters during his visit to Castle- gar. * oe . Castlegar Minor Hockey Association What pt Rita Joh must have for the regional and municipal levels of government, to expect them to buy such a fatuous definition of what is “relevent” to regional well-being! After all, our regional and municipal governments are elected around here, not appointed by Mr. Holier-than-thou Bill Vander Zalm. If the discl Friday that it is considering selling the Castlegar Rebels Junior B hockey club to private interests. * 6 8 Patsy Popoff was installed as presi- dent of the Castlegar and District — Women's bfasrggrontde ina May Tee Leiteh j inctahed th ‘auxillians i in provincial g: merely dlacembling and disguising ie true intentions it will at once restore the Roson ferry and openly and hon- ectly